Record number of fires in Brazil Amazon Forest
Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) warned about a 28 percent increase in the Amazon forest fires in July, in comparison to the same period in 2019.
Over 6,800 fires were recorded in the Amazon in July, compared to 5,318 in the same month of 2019.
About 1,000 fires were registered on 30 July alone, the highest number of fires in a single day since 2005.
Environmentalists are worried about this situation. “We expect that August will be a difficult month, and September will be even worse,” Brazil’s Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) science director Ane Alencar said.
Activists are pointing the finger at president Jair Bolsonaro who has encouraged agricultural and mining activities in the region. According to him, this could lift the country out of poverty.
